Loha Prasat

Loha Prasat means metal castle, and the form goes back to two earlier buildings - one at Shravasti in India and one at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka - both long gone. Rama III began this one at Wat Ratchanatdaram in 1846 as the third and last, though it was finished only after work resumed in 1960, and it is the only surviving example. It rises to thirty-six metres in seven storeys grouped in three levels, with thirty-seven metal spires, one for each of the virtues leading to enlightenment: twenty-four on the lowest level, twelve in the middle and one at the top. Inside, concentric corridors run around each level with meditation cells opening off them and a spiral stair climbing the middle, and the upper terrace gives a view over Ratchadamnoen and the Golden Mount. A Buddha relic was placed in the topmost spire in 1995, and the building opened to the public in 2007.

Highlights

• The thirty-seven spires - one for each virtue on the path to enlightenment.
• The corridors - concentric passages with meditation cells on each level.
• The lineage - the only survivor of three such buildings ever made.
• The terrace view - over Ratchadamnoen toward the Golden Mount.

When to go

November to February. Mornings are quietest. It takes an hour, and pairs naturally with the Golden Mount and Wat Suthat nearby.

Before you go

The interior stair is narrow and steep. Access to the upper levels is sometimes restricted. Temple dress applies.

Nearby

The Golden Mount is a short walk east; Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing are south.

Key facts